Vrindavana Forest, Govardhana Hill, and the whole area of Vraja, are free from violence and theft. So one need not bother to watch one's cows. The cows simply go out into the forests in the morning with the other domestic animals like the buffaloes, eat grass and drink water as they like, and then in the evening com home.

Brihad Bhagavatamrta Part 1 Chapter 6 Text 105

For those who live in Vraja, daytime is like the black night at the end of the universe, and in the blink of an eye a millennium. In such a state, they look at the sun and the trails of dust on the road again and again and listen for the sound of the flute.

Sri Pariksit continued: From dread of the great pain of separation from Krsna, the faces of the ladies like Devaki and Rukmini were pale, downcast, and full of tears. Looking at those women affectionately, gentle-hearted Krsna quickly gestured for an inkpot and paper.

Padmavati said: Krsna, why should You lament? Just listen to my advice. Whi living eleven years in the home of Nanda Gopa, You two brothers enjoyed various comforts. For that, I swear, my husband will repay Nanda twice over. My husband will see to it that Garga Muni calculates the amount to the smallest fraction and delivers it by his own hand And if Nanada owes You payment for tending his cows, let him pay You or not, as he wishes.

July 18, 2010

Remembering Aindra Prabhu

In this morning's sanga, Srila Dhanurdhara Swami shares his remembrance and realizations of Sripad Aindra Prabhu of the Krishna-Balarama Mandir 24 Hour Kirtan in Vrindavana, who recently left his body.

Sri Rohini said: Alas, dear servant of Sri Hari, the residents of Vraja have by evil fate been all but slain. They have lost the last trace of good fortune and are drowning in an ocean of gloom. There they suffer, poisoned and scorched, in the flames of an underwater fire. So please do not destroy my moment of happiness by reminding me of them.

Sri Pariksit said: Impelled by great respect for Narada, Uddhava suddenly stood up, held Narada's feet, and embraced them. Aware of what Narada was thinking, Uddhava remembered many devotees who had received the Lord's special favor. As Uddhava meditated on those devotees, their love for the Lord, and the wealth of their loving ecstasies, he felt distress, thinking himself fallen, and cried helplessly. Only with some effort was he able to regain his composure. Then he became joyful and spoke to the sage, moved by the sattvika emotion of jealousy.

Sri Pariksit said: Noble mother, after hearing Ugrasena's advice, Narada, the dear devotee of Lord Maha-visnu, became absorbed in the taste of exalted love of God, which seized him in its grip. Forgetting everything else, he started off, vina in hand. Having spent much time before in Dvaraka, Narada automatically took the familiar roads to the center of the city, amazing roads that led to the neighborhood of the Lord's palaces, and came to the palace of Krsna's that he knew how to reach from earlier visits. Under the spell of intense transcendental agitation, Narada seemed like an ordinary person haunted by a ghost.